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Explorist 600 Battery Charging?


TheMylrea's

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Let me say first, that I am a new Garmin 60cs user, but I got my son a used Explorist 600, and considering that I am new at both, I must say that the Magellan interface is terrible. Nothing is intuitive. I can figure out my 60cs fine, but we all get frustrated trying to work with the Explorist 600.

 

Now, to the matter at hand...we cannot seem to get the battery to charge. When we connect the cord to the 600 and plug in the AC adapter plug, then turn on the 600. It automatically comes up on the USB File transfer mode screen. Seems odd. In any case, we cannot get off this screen unless we change the selection to POWER ONLY. Once changed, the screen that shows the battery level now only shows EXT. POWER and a symbol of a yellow AC plug.

 

According to the manual, it should show BATTERY CHARGING. When left in EXT POWER mode, the battery never charges.

 

Can someone explain how this "Rube Goldberg" GPS is supposed to be set to charge the battery?

 

ps. Whoever designed that screw-on connector just to charge the battery should have every connector in their house changed to teeny-tiny screw-on connections! <_<

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Let me say first, that I am a new Garmin 60cs user, but I got my son a used Explorist 600, and considering that I am new at both, I must say that the Magellan interface is terrible. Nothing is intuitive. I can figure out my 60cs fine, but we all get frustrated trying to work with the Explorist 600.

 

Now, to the matter at hand...we cannot seem to get the battery to charge. When we connect the cord to the 600 and plug in the AC adapter plug, then turn on the 600. It automatically comes up on the USB File transfer mode screen. Seems odd. In any case, we cannot get off this screen unless we change the selection to POWER ONLY. Once changed, the screen that shows the battery level now only shows EXT. POWER and a symbol of a yellow AC plug.

 

According to the manual, it should show BATTERY CHARGING. When left in EXT POWER mode, the battery never charges.

 

Can someone explain how this "Rube Goldberg" GPS is supposed to be set to charge the battery?

 

ps. Whoever designed that screw-on connector just to charge the battery should have every connector in their house changed to teeny-tiny screw-on connections! <_<

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You will want to get the craddle/holder, which makes life easy (you just drop the eXplorist into it and it starts charging, no screwing in the cable.)

 

Until then, attach the cable so that it is running down the back of the unit, not up. It will then charge using the wall wart, which is plugged into the "Y" in the cable.

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If you connect the cable with the cord running up instead of down then the unit will show charging. You will not be able to communicate over the usb to your computer however. Plugging in in this "upside down" mode you should not also plug in the wall socket charger. I always use a cig-adapter to usb in my car, and I always plug it in with the cable running up so that I get a quick charge.

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To all that have replied:

 

Thanks for the tips and info! FWIW, we aren't plugging into the USB on the computer...only using the AC adapter and connecting to the back using the (dumb) screw-on connector.

 

I'm not sure whether we have the cord running up or down, but I will double check that.

 

I thought it was weird that, when not plugged into a USB port, that the 600 would go into USB transfer mode just by plugging the power connector onto the back!! I don't want to transfer, I want to charge the 600 (and maybe even play with it too, while charging)!

 

In any case, i'm going to track down one of those cradles...is the cradle USB-enabled, or just power?

 

Thanks all...I'll report back.

 

Darryl.

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OK, I don't get it. Both of the above referenced "cradles" look to be just mounting brackets for cars or boats. When getting a cradle, I expect something that sits on your desk, with the AC and/or USB cable attached, and you just sit your device into the cradle, and it starts charging and is available for communications.

 

Both of the above referenced don't say anything about being an "active" cradle, nor do I see any contacts on them to serve as cradles.

 

Am I expecting too much?

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Magellan GPS holders have a hole on back , Where the cable snaps into, and all you have to do is seat the GPS in the holder, and it applies pressure on the cable connector, and no need of messing with a screw, as long as the GPS is snapped tightly into the holder, but if you need to do a firmware update at some time in the future, it is still a good idea to tighten the screw, to avoid a firmware update failure. The whole setup with the GPS holder, and the hole on back for the cable connector, is to make it easy to connect to the PC.

 

-

Geoff

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A properly functioning Explorist only shows the communication screen if

you are plugged into the PC using the USB connector.

 

It will not show this screen if your cord is going down or up.

 

It might if you connect it with the cord going sideways - I am not about to try

it on mine.

 

Recommended procedure:

 

1) mount cable to the Explorist going straight down along the back

2) Plug wall wart adapter into wall (order of 1 and 2 don't matter)

3) Plug power connection into Explorist cable (this really should be done last)

 

If your screw-on connector is "hot" when you are connecting it, there is a very good chance

you will apply power to the wrong terminals and fry your unit.

 

If you apply power in the method indicated, not plugged into the PC, and it still comes

up in USB mode, it is time for a service call.

 

Robert

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Thanks everyone. I did determine that when the cable is going down the back of the 600, the battery does correctly show "Charging", then "FULL CHARGE" when complete.

 

Apparently, with the cable going up, it does trick the unit into going into USB transfer mode (even when there is no computer connected!), and when we chose EXT POWER, it SLOOOOWWWW charged.

 

In any case, case solved! I'll look into the cradles, but space is limited where it would go, and those

"cradles" that Magellan sells look rather thick and large.

 

Thanks again!

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I'll look into the cradles, but space is limited where it would go, and those

"cradles" that Magellan sells look rather thick and large.

Just an FYI: I like to use the swivel mount on my desktop (I've got a piece of velcro on the bottom to also use it on the dash of my cars); the diameter of the base is 3.5 inches.

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